Simultaneous Determination of 11 Preservatives in Cosmetics by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

Preservatives prevent the growth of microorganisms in foods, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. There exist numerous restrictions regarding the maximum allowable levels of preservatives in cosmetics. We analyzed 11 regulated preservatives in commercial cosmetics and manufacturers need to analyze their products for quality control purposes. However, methods used in previous studies to date have been inadequate for use by public institutions and manufacturers. Therefore, an effective, scalable method for the analysis of preservatives in cosmetics is required. We developed a novel method for the simultaneous determination of 11 regulated preservatives in cosmetics by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). We applied the samples to a C18 column in a simple mobile phase (5 mmol/L ammonium formate solution and acetonitrile) with gradient elution at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min at a single wavelength (230 nm). The correlation coefficients of the calibration curves were >0.997. The percent recoveries were 92.8-111.9% and the relative standard deviations were <4.3% (n = 6). The peak resolution for all preservatives was >1.9. Because of the simple conditions for isolation and complete separation, the HPLC method can be effectively applied to the analysis of preservatives in commercially retailed cosmetics.

Simultaneous determination of 11 preservatives in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals by matrix solid-phase dispersion coupled with gas chromatography

“…Synthetic preservatives, which can effectively suppress the growth of bacteria [1,2], yeast [3], mold [3], and other microorganisms, are widely used as additives in daily necessities such as food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and so on. The esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (parabens) have become the most frequently used preservatives, due to their strong stability, low volatility, and low irritability [4]. Iodopropynyl butylcarbamate used at low concentrations in cosmetics is an effective broad-spectrum fungicide [3].…”

A Green and Rapid Analytical Method for the Determination of Hydroxyethoxyphenyl Butanone in Cosmetic Products by Liquid Chromatography

“…With regard to the analytical techniques for the determination of preservatives [9], reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV/Vis) [10][11][12][13][14], and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) [15,16] detectors are the most commonly used. Gas chromatography (GC) [17][18][19], capillary electrophoresis (CE) [20,21], and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MCEK) [22][23][24][25] methods are also frequent alternatives to LC methods.…”

Using thermal desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to rapidly determine antimicrobial preservatives in cosmetics

“…Subsequently, liquid chromatography (LC), gas chromatography (GC), and capillary electrophoresis (CE) were used to determine preservative compounds. Chromatographic separation hyphenated mass spectrometric methods like GC/MS and LC/MS were highly regarded for their sensitivity and quantitative ability, but time‐consuming steps significantly reduced sample throughput . In general, only a small proportion of commercial products were taken casually for the examination of preservative levels.…”